Sparrow & Robin United
by TSRowenwood
Summary: As they were given a mission the Team never knew who was leading it. "Sparrow will be leading this mission." "Who? Wait, Robin?" For before Dick Grayson was Robin he was known as the Sparrow.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A picture of a boy with messy black hair appeared on screen. He was sitting on the floor with his hands tied behind his back. He was blindfolded, and even though there was a gun pointed at his head, he still had a smirk plastered on his face. Frankly, it looked a lot like Robin's.

"You mission is to get Ash Quertz back home in one piece," Batman said.

Robin guffawed. "You've got to be kidding me. Crowe got captured? CROWE?"

"Uh, Rob, his name is Quertz. So why are you calling him Crowe?" Kid Flash asked.

Robin looked at Batman who gave a stiff nod. "Ash Quertz is a gang leader named Crowe. A very good one at that," Robin smirked. "I could never catch him."

"Robin, Crowe was not Crowe when he was captured," His mentor put in before anyone could object to saving one of the bad guys. "He will only be Ash while you are on the mission," Batman turned to the rest of the team. "Sparrow will be leading this mission. Quertz is in Warehouse 15."

"Batman, who is Sparrow?" Aqualad asked.

Instead of answering, he grimaced. "If you're wondering about Sparrow's eyes, just have him put that 2-way fabric over them." Robin nodded and the Dynamic Duo both left, heading in two different directions, leaving the team very, very confused.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Robin returned so quickly that the team only had time to blink blankly at each other and form questions that bounced through the mind link, which Robin had so thoughtfully been left out of.

Robin looked very different when he got back. There was no cape, much to the surprise of many. There was only a black body suit with a silver S where his R normally was. His hair was much shaggier, falling just past his jaw in uneven locks like he had taken a knife to it **(Robin puts gel in his hair to keep it like it normally is in the episodes. That is my explanation).** There was also no utility belt or anything that remotely resembled weapons. Over his eyes was a black strip of fabric.

"What on earth are you wearing?" Artemis eyed him skeptically.

"My Sparrow costume…" His statement sounded more like a question and he looked down at himself as if to check that there wasn't a tear or stain on the outfit. Sparrow looked up and his jaw dropped. "You mean, you seriously didn't think _**I **_was Sparrow? Batman and I were dropping hints left and right! Honestly! And I thought I taught you better," He shook his head disapprovingly. "Although, when I wear this, you normally CAN see my eyes. Unfortunately, I can't tell you my secret identity yet, so, the two-way fabric must stay," he sighed heavily.

"Robin," Aqualad started hesitantly.

"It's Sparrow," the boy corrected.

"Sparrow, I do not mean to seem offensive... but how will you be able to fight in that costume? I see no weapons of any sort."

"He's right," M'gann quipped in.

Sparrow smirked. "You see, that, my friends, is where you are wrong. I have plenty of weapons."

"Care to show us?" Superboy's question sounded more like a demand. He folded his arms over his chest.

Sparrow smirked once again, tilting his head. That was when the team saw something they hadn't noticed until then. There was a tall, skinny bag slung over Sparrow's shoulder.

"What's that?" Kid Flash pointed to the case.

Sparrow grinned. "Oh, we'll get to that one in a second. It's my personal favorite, and I like to show it off _after_ I get to all of my other goodies," he set the case on the ground gently.

The team was yet again confused. This was a whole new side to Robin. Robin did like his weapons, but he wasn't really the sort to want to show people them. This was getting weird.

First, he pointed to his shoes. "Did you notice anything different about me when I first entered the room?" The team looked blankly at each other. "I'll take that as a no. Well, these shoes add a couple of inches to my height. I'm now almost as tall as Aqualad. Plus, these shoes are steel-toed. I don't know about you, but I certainly wouldn't want to get kicked while your attacker was wearing these."

Sparrow reached up to his ear and produced pins. "My lock-pick wires," he explained. They gawked. Lock-pick wires? What the heck was Robin doing in his spare time?

Next he bent down and pulled a long dagger out of his boot, followed by a second, much shorter one. "Don't worry, I don't use these too often," was his 'assurance'. Then he held out his forearm, and pushed the sleeve up, allowing an almost-flat bottle to be seen.

"Hairspray? Seriously?" Artemis crossed her arms.

Sparrow shrugged. "Hey, it works. Have you ever been sprayed with hairspray? That stuff burns your eyes! I learned to carry it around after I got hit with some."

"Okay! Okay! Will you please just tell me what's in the bag? I'm dying over here!" Kid Flash was not, in fact, much to the displeasure of a certain archer, dying. But he was vibrating pretty fast.

Sparrow carefully placed all of his equipment back in their proper places and picked up the bag. He pulled out a coil of rope. He looked at the faces that had been partially excited but now showed disappointment. "No, that's not what is mainly in here. I just couldn't carry my rope, it's too heavy, so I stuffed it in here."

"So what is in there?" Kid Flash asked. "Some weird katana? Eskrima sticks?"

"Nope! Something even better."

The team leaned forward.

Sparrow smirked, which was getting really annoying to Superboy, and pulled out a thing that all of them had at least seen once. "A baseball bat."

Superboy raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? That's your favorite weapon?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yep. This is the best baseball bat I've found yet. She's lasted three whole months!"

M'gann had doubt in her eyes. "Three months isn't that long."

The boy blushed. "Well, it's the longest I've ever had one for. This is Rage the thirty-seventh. Rage the first... Well, let's just say that she only lasted an hour after I got her."

"So you use a baseball bat?" Artemis was NOT impressed. "What kind of a hero are you?"

Sparrow tugged at his collar. "Um... I never said I was exactly a hero."

"Why are we saving one of the people who hurts innocents?" Superboy asked bluntly. "You said so yourself that Crowe's a gang leader."

"Superboy," Aqualad's voice was low.

Sparrow started fidgeting. "Sparrow or Robin, whichever you are," Kid Flash started, "What kind of a _person_ are you? We know next to nothing about you, other than your weapon choice and that an alternate version of you is Robin. What is going on?"

"One question at a time," Sparrow put Rage the thirty-seventh back in the case along with the rope and turned to Superboy. "You asked why we are saving Cr-Ash Quertz. First, you heard Bats. He wasn't Crowe at the time; he wasn't doing anything wrong. Second, he has next to no friends thanks to his attitude, and I'm practically his only friend. Third, I owe him a favor seeing as he saved my life. And fourth," he took a breath, "Crowe is practically my brother. I lived with him for eight months of my life. He helped me out a lot before Bats showed up. I couldn't bear it if something bad happened to him," He unconsciously rubbed his arms nervously.

"As to what kind of a person I am... It's hard to explain..." Sparrow gulped. "Crowe is a gang leader, and he's usually on the lookout for new members. When he found me, I don't know... I guess he was impressed that I had lived on the streets for nearly three weeks without so much as a scratch. He took me in. I'm his follower. I was a gang member," the team looked at him in shock. "Until I defeated another leader in combat and became a gang _leader._"

He looked up to see their expressions which varied from shock to disappointment to anger. He hurried to defend himself. "But nowadays I don't do that anymore! I found Bats and became Robin! The only time I become Sparrow is when I go to Crowe to convince him to give back what he's stolen. And I nearly always get him to return the items!"

He could see them all trying to process the huge amount of information he'd just supplied them with. Aqualad was the first to speak. "Why can't we operate this mission without you?"

"Because Crowe wouldn't trust you. You're the enemy. Robin is his enemy. He'd probably try to smash you with his baseball bat if you came within twenty feet of him."

Silence.

"Well," Kid Flash held out a hand playfully, "Welcome to the team, _Sparrow."_

Sparrow smirked yet again before taking Kid Flash's hand, and flipping him over his shoulder.

"What'd you do that for?" Superboy asked angrily. M'gann looked confused as to why he would do such a thing, Artemis looked more impressed than she had, and Aqualad looked like he was about to ask Batman for a change of leadership.

"I'm a _gang leader_. Normally, you don't go around holding out your hands to, essentially, villains," if they could have seen Sparrow's eyes, they were sure he would've been rolling them at that moment. "Let's just get this mission over with quickly and quietly. I'll tell you the rules once we get there."

"I'll call the Bio-Ship," M'gann raised her hand to her head, but Sparrow stopped her.

"Nope. That won't be necessary."

"Why not?" asked Aqualad.

"We're going to do this the old-fashioned way. There's a zeta-beam that leads into Gotham, obviously. Warehouse 15 is only about two, three miles away from there."

The team stared at him as if he had grown wings overnight.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "At this rate, I would probably get this job done quicker with my old team. Come ON, you guys! It's not like it's that much walking," he grinned evilly, "Or in your case, running to keep up with me. Besides, I haven't used this alias in a while. I need some time to get used to being on the streets again."

The team gulped simultaneously. Kid Flash groaned, finally getting up off the floor, and thought, _This is going to be a very, very long mission._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The team fully agreed with Kid Flash's last thought, twenty_**minutes**_ after they left Mount Justice.

If you haven't noticed, Sparrow's colors are a lot darker than Robins. He doesn't have anything that really has any color. So that made it harder to follow him into Gotham.

Add that to the fact that Sparrow disappeared about ten times as often as Robin and that made it a heck of a lot harder than it already was.

When M'gann made that apparent, in the kindest way possible, Sparrow had sighed through the mind link and grudgingly stopped disappearing. That being said, however, they still had to practically run to keep up with him. Sparrow wasn't going easy on them any time soon.

About the time they had made a mile, the kid stopped abruptly, causing Kid Flash to bump into him.

_Watch it, Kid Oblivious!_ Sparrow scolded from the mind link.

_Why are we stopping? _Superboy asked.

_I totally forgot one of my weapons! I haven't restocked on it in a long while, and I'm out._

Artemis put her hands on her hips. _Aren't you forgetting something? We're trying to save somebody's life at the moment!_

Sparrow brought up his hand and rubbed at his non-existent chin-hairs as if in thought. Then he waved, literally, the matter aside thinking, _Nah, he'll be fine._

The team all gapped at him.

_I'm sorry in advance for this Supes. _Sparrow then let out an earsplitting . . . chirp?

Sure enough, Superboy had his hands to his ears. He was about to bring them down when Sparrow thought, _No, don't. I'm expecting an answer that'll be about the same pitch._

Superboy left his hands up.

In about thirty seconds, another piercing, though slightly duller, shriek, not chirp, was sounded back.

"Good, she should be here in about two to three minutes," Sparrow mused.

"And who exactly are we waiting for?" Aqualad questioned.

"The names Viper."

The team turned as a girl in her late teens came out of the shadows of the alley-way. She had brown hair pulled into a loose pony-tail with long bangs that completely covered her eyes. She had a white shirt on with black outlining the edges of her shoulder-length sleeves and a thick black band at the waist. She wore gray gloves that started at her elbows and ended at points on the back of her hands. Her pants were gray and went just past her knees. To complete the look, she had a pair of Nike running shoes.

Oh, and did I forget to mention that she carried a bag just like the one Sparrow used to carry Rage the thirty-seventh in?

She walked straight up to Sparrow, looked him in the eye, well fabric strip anyway, stating, "And how do I know you're the real Sparrow and not some phony?"

Sparrow turned to the team. _Turn around. Now. I have to show her my eyes or she won't do anything I tell her. No peeking either!_

The team obliged. A second later they heard the okay from the kid to turn back around. When they did, the sight that met their eyes was interesting enough.

The so-called Viper had Sparrow in a head-lock on the ground.

"What? So you think you can just disappear on me like that!" She shrieked. "I had no idea where you were! I seriously thought Crowe was gonna' murder someone!"

"Sorry, Pipes," he managed to rasp in between breaths. "Would you let go? You're kinda cutting off my circulation."

She let go, and he slowly got up. "Nice going on the, don't-tell-your-secret-identity-rule bird brain," Viper turned to the team. She blew a few strands of hair out of her face so that they could see chocolate brown eyes. "Would you all let me in on your mind link?"

"Of course," M'gann's eyes glowed for a moment. _You're in._

_So, thanks to the boy blunder here, I now have to tell you my name since he already started it. _She glared at him. _It's Piper Goren. On the job it's Viper. And don't you forget it._

"I did say I was sorry Viper."

"Yeah, yeah, sure thing kid. You know, you're just to cute for your own good."

Sparrow made a sour face.

"And before you go off on how disturbing that sounds, I'll have you know that I do know how old you are," Viper whispered.

"Pray tell, how did you find out?" Sparrow crossed his arms.

She smirked. "Crowe accidently let it slip a few months ago. I still can't believe you were an eight year old gang leader."

Sparrow laughed. "What did you make him promise to do so that you wouldn't tell anyone?"

The girl shrugged and grinned maniacally. "I made him write a thousand sentences about how much cooler I am and why I should be made leader instead of him."

"You are an evil genius, Viper!"

The team watched on in curious fascination as the two old comrades traded notes on what's been going on in gangs lately, the weather, stuff like that. That was when Sparrow noticed the bag slung over Viper's shoulder. He paled considerably.

"Why . . . Why did you have to bring Rage the thirty-fifth?" He pointed at her skinny bag when she gave a blank look.

A grin slowly crept onto her face. "Well, when you called, I was at home just two streets over and I thought, why not bring in an old friend, seeing as she's just next door?"

Sparrow went as white as paper. "You've been LEAVING Rage the thirty-fifth with OTHER PEOPLE!"

"Excuse me for interrupting this, lovely banter_**(1)**_, but why would Viper have your baseball bat?" Kid Flash asked.

Sparrow's eyes narrowed. "I did him a favor. He asked me what I wanted in payment. I told him I wanted Rage. Technically, the thirty-seventh hasn't lasted the longest. Rage the thirty-fifth has. The only difference is that she's mine now," Viper answered, taking little pity now. "And don't worry," she smirked and brushed her hair back over her eyes. "I only left her with the little six-year-old twins next door."

His head snapped up. "You've got to be kidding me! You can't leave her with them! They'll paint her bright pink!"

"Then it's a good thing she doesn't belong to you anymore. You've got yourself a fine new girl to fight with."

"Why do you call the baseball bats girls?" M'gann asked.

Artemis crossed her arms. "Boys work just as well."

Viper and Sparrow exchanged looks. Sparrow was doing the talking on this one. "Well, a couple of us gangsters have a thing for naming our weapons when we choose them. So, you kind of have to pick their gender. Rage the first was a girl. After I went through sixteen baseball bats, I thought that maybe girls just weren't my thing. So Rage the seventeenth was male," he shook his head. "But fighting with him . . . It just didn't have the same feel. So all the rest of them since have been girls."

"By-the-by, why in the world _did_ you call me? I hardly think it was just to have a nice chat."

Sparrow rubbed his neck nervously. "Um . . . I kind of ran out of the perfume. . ."

Viper's body almost went limp, except she was still standing. "You've got to be kidding me. You went through all the trouble of using the secret code to get me. . . for more perfume? Are you nuts or what?"

**Hey, just to let you know, I completely made up Crowe and Viper up. Not that I'm meaning to be Mr. Obvious, but . . . *shrug***

**1. That line came from the movie Treasure Planet. Sorry if it didn't exactly sound like Kid Flash would be capable of saying it, but oh well. I liked it.**

**And don't worry. The perfume thing will be told about in the next chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Please?"

"No way, Sparrow, I refuse! The last time I went in there the woman pulled out an AK-47 on me! That's the type of gun REAL villains use!"

"I don't care! I need more NOW!"

"Why don't you just get it yourself?"

Sparrow shuddered. "Do you know how weird it would look for a _boy_ to walk into a _lady's_ fragrance store?"

Viper sighed, pulled her hair out of its ponytail and started redoing it in a braid. "Fine. But what exactly do you suggest I wear? I am _not_ going dressed like this."

The team sighed in relief. The argument had been going on for a _long_ while.

Sparrow's face went slack. "It's called you go to your house which is two streets over, get changed, go to the freaking store, get changed again, and hand over the stupid bottle! How much more oblivious could you get?"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that last comment," Viper tied off the braid. "And you better start coming up with some good ways to pay me back, because I do expect payment in full," And with that, the girl stalked off.

"And why do you need perfume in the first place?" Artemis asked after they couldn't hear Viper's footsteps anymore.

"Do you spray them in the eyes or something? Oh, I've got it! The smell is so bad that people pass out! _**(1)**_" Kid Flash was openly mocking Sparrow, and he knew it.

"As a matter of fact, no," Sparrow glared at the speedster. Then he laughed. "Do you know how funny it is to see the expressions on the bad guys faces when I threaten to spray them? It's hilarious! I once had a situation where a full grown man started crying and practically ran away from me!"

"What do you plan on paying Viper with?" Aqualad questioned.

The boy shrugged, his smile turning into a grimace. "I don't know. Normally how this works is the person who gets paid gets to choose the price. That's what happened with Rage the thirty-fifth."

"Well, what does she normally go for?" M'gann honestly was trying to be helpful, but the only help it did was to make a pained look fly across Sparrow's face.

"Usually she makes me give up my weapons. But due to the fact that I haven't visited her in four years, she might switch tactics and humiliate me."

"Four years? I'd say you deserve it then," Superboy said bluntly.

Sparrow's eyes would've been rolling if they could have seen them. "Gee, thanks for the enthusiasm. But, yeah, probably."

"More like definitely," The team jumped, with the exception of Sparrow, to see Viper.

"Snicker doodle."

Everyone sent Sparrow odd looks and Viper cocked an eyebrow upwards. "You're still using that? Seriously?"

He nodded. "Haven't I ever told you the story? No? Well, my mother loved to bake, but the one thing that you couldn't go near without gagging were her snicker doodles. I was her taste-tester. Essentially when I say that, it means I'm in big trouble."

"I see," clearly, the gangster was not impressed. She tossed a bottle to Sparrow. "I hope you like it better than last seasons, 'Sweet Pea and Violet'."

Sparrow stuffed the bottle in his bag with the rope and baseball bat without looking to see what the name was. "Thanks. What do you want?"

Everyone was quiet. It was as if an unexpected tornado had come through and people were still in shock.

"Hmmm . . . I could make you give me the thirty-seventh," Sparrow's face went white. "Or do something absolutely humiliating like gathering all of the gangsters who used to work for you and making you tell them how old you are," If it was possible, Sparrow's face went even paler than it had been.

Viper started pacing. "Four years . . . Not a word in four years . . . I think this punishment should fit the crime," She turned to the condemned boy. "I sentence you with visiting me once a week until the day you move out of Gotham!"

Kid Flash started laughing. He was shortly followed by the rest of the team.

Sparrow's jaw hung agape. "But-!"

"Oh come on! I've known you weren't ever really gone. I got Crowe to confess that you'd been visiting him once a week. If you can take the time out to see him, you can take the time out to see me," she folded her arms over her chest.

The boy frantically tried to search for a loophole in which to climb out of. No such loophole existed. "Fine," he growled.

She practically beamed at him. "Great! I'll expect to see you sometime next week then!" And with that, Viper vanished into the swirling mix of mist and shadows.

Sparrow's shoulders slumped as soon as she was gone. "I'm a goner. I am seriously way in over my head."

"Why do you get all the girls?" Kid Flash asked suddenly.

Sparrow gaped at him. "You are one disturbing character. Man, she's nineteen!"

"She certainly didn't look nineteen," M'gann said.

"She looked about sixteen with some major issues."

"Nobody asked for your opinion Blondie!"

"Nobody asked for yours either!"

"GUYS!" Sparrow silenced them. "We'll never get anything done if you two don't stop squabbling like a pair of two-year-olds," Artemis and Kid Flash made sour faces. "Now, I've got what I need, let's just get this mission over with and save Quertz. We've got about a mile-and-a-half left."

And with that they set off on their fast pace once again.

_Crap. I was just getting used to standing still! Now we have to move quick again! _One guess on who asked that.

_Would it hurt you to be quiet for once? _This one might be harder. I'll give you a clue. The only kid wearing black that had a baseball bat case strapped to his back said this.

Poor Kid Flash. Fate was just not on his side today.

* * *

**Sorry if these chapters seem short to you. It's all I got for today. Next we'll finally get to saving Ash (Crowe).**

**1. Thanks to Robin-Is-Awesomeical for that blip. It was fun to write.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As the six teenagers drew nearer to the warehouse, it got eerily quiet in the mind link. And the sounds coming from the old building weren't that pleasant to listen too.

It's not like there was a tortured scream or anything, but it was still disturbing. There was semi-quiet talking by two male figures, from the sounds of it. Every once in a blue moon another voice would enter into the conversation. It was slightly higher pitched, and definitely younger. As soon as he would say something the two older men would yell threats while the younger would chuckle and the cycle would repeat all over again.

You're probably wondering how on earth the teenagers could hear all that (besides a certain Kryptonian) from outside. Well, the truth is, they weren't actually getting closer to the warehouse.

They were already at the walls of Warehouse 15.

You see, as soon as Superboy had heard it, they all practically started running.

The first thing the team did was look for the door.

_Ahem._

Five teens turned to see Sparrow with his arms folded against his chest, frowning.

_What is it?_ Aqualad asked.

_You didn't phrase that right._ Artemis put her hands on her hips. _It's supposed to be, "What is it, NOW?"_

_Think of that all on your own, did you? And because you can't see half my face, I'm raising my eyebrow in a disbelieving fashion at the moment._

_Sparrow, I believe you were trying to tell us something? _M'gann pushed the conversation away from ending up in a disastrous argument.

He nodded appreciatively. _As I was trying to think, _he sent a glare towards the archer, _You'll never get in through the door. More than likely it's locked, and besides. If you tried, they would know we were here, and isn't this supposed to be a 'covert' team?_

There was a moment of silence as his words sunk in. _That . . . makes sense. _Superboy thought.

_Good. _Sparrow thought slowly, like he was talking to a bunch of two-year-olds. _Now let's go find a more 'covert' way into the building. _And with that, he silently stalked around the corner.

_Geez! He needs to lighten up! _Kid Flash thought as he tried to slow down and walk as carefully as Sparrow.

_I can STILL hear you!_

* * *

About five minutes later the team was watching Sparrow as he nimbly climb up the warehouse wall, towards a locked up window.

_Remind me again why you're going to unlock a window when you could've just picked the lock to the door? _All of the teens agreed simultaneously with Kid Flash.

_Because, _Sparrow shifted his weight so that he could look down at the team. _It would be way too obvious to use the door. If I know the villains of Gotham, they've probably got the door booby-trapped, or a man keeping an eye on it. They'll never think to look up. They never do._

He shifted his weight again and continued climbing up. He then balanced precariously on the tiny edge, taking his hands off the wall. He wobbled a little, but regained his sense of balance in only a few moments, and proceeded to take the wires out from their place on his ears.

The team watched in disturbed fascination as Sparrow continued to pick the lock on the window. Honestly, how many kids do you know who can stay perfectly balanced on a poor excuse for a ledge, while picking a lock? Not many, I'd dare say.

Sparrow stopped working for a moment, softly pressing some of his weight against the window. It opened silently, obviously well oiled. _Idiots. _He smirked as he looked down to the team. _I told you they never think to look up. Otherwise the window would be creaking._

_Would you just get on with it? _Artemis was trying so hard to suppress the punch she was just dying to hit Sparrow with, even though he was roughly ten feet above her head.

_Sheesh! I swear, I have been cursed to know only girls who don't have any sense of patience whatsoever! _Sparrow, still balancing on the narrow window-sill, took off his baseball case, opened up the zipper and took out the rope. Then he zipped the bag back up and slung it over his back. He then proceeded to tie one end to the window panes, and slowly let the rope fall back to the ground where the others were.

_Okay, listen carefully. I'm going to open this window, and each of you one at a time is going to climb up. Be forewarned. Inside there is not an actual room. There are only the beams holding up the ceiling. I hope you've been practicing your tight-rope-walking, 'cause you're going to need it. M'gann, you float up to me first._

M'gann drifted upwards towards the boy as he opened the window. He took her hand and gently swung her inside.

_Fast Feet, you're next._

_Darn, why did you have to be TOO much like Rob? _Kid Flash started climbing. Sparrow shook it slightly. _Cut it out! _Kid Flash glared at the smirking boy. He was pushed non too gently in the building when he finally got up.

Superboy and Aqualad got up and into the warehouse quite easily without much mockage _**(1)**_ coming from Sparrow.

Then it was Artemis's turn. After all of her little comments, Sparrow wasn't very anxious to bring her up. He grinned deviously as an idea popped into his head.

As soon as Artemis stepped up to take the rope in hand, Sparrow pulled it up so it was just out of reach. She glared daggers at him. _Very funny. _

_I certainly thought so! _Sparrow lowered it down again, but pulled it up once she very nearly had her hands on it.

_Quit it! _She growled.

_Think the magic words that they teach you in school and I just might comply. _He thought dryly.

She continued to glare the sharpest daggers at him possible, and flashed a vivid picture of daggers flying through the mind link.

There was a sigh through the link. _Could you two please just get over this? The bickering has gone on long enough. _M'gann's voice was almost pleading but was on the edge of being annoyed. _We still have someone to save._

_Oh fine! _Artemis reluctantly thought. _Will you let me up . . . please? _

Sparrow smirked in triumph. _Of course, my lady._

_Say that again and I will personally make sure that Crowe or Ash or whatever gets put in jail after tonight!_

_You wouldn't dare!_

_Sparrow! Artemis! Back to the matter at hand, please? _Aqualad ordered more than asked.

Grudgingly, Sparrow hefted Artemis up, and then shoved her into the room, making her wobble on the support beam she landed on.

_Don't even bother sending a glare at me again, Wanna-Be Arrow. _

Artemis didn't, but if looks could kill the wall opposite from her wouldn't stand a chance.

* * *

**I absolutely LOVED writing this chapter! It was so much fun. And sorry that I said that they were actually going to rescue Crowe/Ash today, but unfortunately, when I started writing I found myself needing to write about how sibling fights go. I myself have them quite often. So, sorry if this wasn't what you were expecting.**

**1. If you try typing 'mockage' into a word document, it will not show up as a real word. That's because it isn't. It's just a word my family uses.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Perched in the part of the rafters that were hidden from view in the shadows, Young Justice and the well-known Sparrow looked down at the boy they had been assigned to bring back to safety.

Ash was situated with his back against the back brick wall. Which happened to be directly under the team. So all they could really see was the top of his head and hands which were on top of his legs which were laid out straight in front of him. You could see dried blood from one of the numerous knife cuts in his jeans.

_This is what happened because you had to take so long with that girl!_ Superboy glared at Sparrow hardly. Scratch that. Furiously. _He has way more injuries than he did in the picture!_

Sparrow winced. That comment stung, as it was supposed to. _Don't you think I know that? I've been in these situations before, Supes. _He subconsciously slipped into what he would say if he was Robin. _He's practically my brother. I know what he can and can't handle. This, _he gestured downwards, _is nothing. Besides, I really needed the perfume. It very well might be the thing that saves his life._

_There are about twenty men, Sparrow. _Kaldur diverted the 'conversation'. _How do you want us to do this?_

Everyone turned to the boy for an answer. For a moment, several had forgotten who was in charge of the mission.

Sparrow frowned thoughtfully. _Not sure. Let's ask the kid we're supposed to be saving, shall we?_ After receiving some odd glances, he let out a long series of chirps and whistles that sounded like a real Sparrow's tune.

A lot o the thugs looked around the room wondering where the bird's nest was. One of the men looked towards the rafters and shot his gun. Kid Flash had to lean a ways to the left in order to get out of the bullet's way.

Ash though responded differently. He didn't frantically twist his head around to determine where the sound was coming from. Instead, his left ear wiggled, and he titled his head upwards so that the teen heroes had a pretty good view of his face. It was blank, and then, slowly, a smirk crawled into place. He really did look like Robin. Or did Robin look like Ash?

Then he did a REALLY peculiar thing. He cawed. Like a crow. Over and over again. Each note was a different length, some were louder than others, and each had a special tone to it.

"Hey, shut up kid!" A man came over and whacked him in the head, pretty hard. Ash's bound hands curled into fists, his smirk turning into a scowl. The team couldn't see it, but they didn't need to see it to know it was there.

Sparrow let out an angry chirp, and Ash's hands started moving.

_It's sign American Sign Language. _Artemis figured. _Haven't seen that in a while._

They saw Sparrow noticeably relaxed. _What did he sign? _M'gann asked.

_He's fine. Most of it is just to scare us. Just fake blood and such. Plus the head whackage __**(1)**__ also wasn't that hard. Which is essentially a HUGE lie. Stupid Ash. _He shook his head.

_What did he suggest we do? _Aqualad patiently questioned.

Sparrow shrugged. _He said to leave the fighting to me and him. I quote, "We don't need the Junior Justice League getting in our way." Again, NOT my words._ It was probably a good thing that Superboy didn't have laser-vision at this point . . .

_Okay, so I don't very well want you to just sit there . . . _You could practically see the cogs spinning in Sparrow's head as he thought of what to do with the team. _I mean, you were sent here for a reason. I've got it! You all stay here and watch us fight. Pretend it's a training session with Black Canary. Watch and learn. _That being said, the lithe boy jumped/flipped down from the rafters, no creepy cackle accompanying it.

He landed with his hands on a man's shoulders, back and legs straight as if he was simply walking on his hands.

Ash jumped to his feet, despite being temporarily blind. A thug came up from behind him and he leaped into the air, spinning as he came down, kicking the guy in the face. Then he went over to where he guessed Sparrow was, and swung his bound-together-hands at where the kidnapper's chest would be if his calculations were correct. The guy doubled over in pain. Ash's calculations hadn't been correct.

Sparrow flipped forward and kicked his used-to-be perch in the head, effectively knocking him out.

It continued like this for a while until Sparrow yelled at Ash, Ash went over to him and Sparrow picked him up. Just at that moment the man who's job had been to guard the door came over, and he had a rather sharp looking knife on him that was raised to finish off the job.

He didn't end up finishing the job. Instead he did the boys a huge favor in cutting Ash's binds when Sparrow lifted him at a rather odd angle. Then the team got to see Ash's eyes. A pale green with a dangerous spark to them.

It was a rather interesting fight. In all honesty the team thought it looked more like a dance. Sparrow and Ash moved just so well together. Almost like Batman and Robin, except Sparrow and Ash didn't look quite as practiced. But that might also just happen to be because Robin didn't go out as Sparrow very often.

At one point Sparrow even got to use his perfume as follows:

_**Sparrow slipped his hand into his hidden pocket while sticking out his foot, making another goon trip. He pulled out the perfume and the guy's eyes he had cornered widened in fear and . . . disbelief?**_

_**"Funny, this year's model is called, 'Peachy'. Do you like peaches? 'Cause I sure don't," Sparrow then started pushing down the spray triggering mechanism.**_

_**The man shrieked like a little girl and sprinted out of the warehouse.**_

_**Sparrow's head hung in disappointment. "Such a shame. I guess I won't be using this today. "**_

Now the fight was raging a bit differently. Sparrow had taken out his baseball bat and had been using it to his advantage. Until the very last goon had grabbed Ash and put a knife to his neck.

"Not one step closer or he dies!"

That was the point when Kid Flash silently - silently, no way! - jumped down, speeded over, and took the knife away.

"What-" He didn't get the chance to finish the question.

Sparrow had already taken the chance and swung his bat at his head. It knocked the man out, like it would knock a ball out of the park as it was initially created to do. Time seemed to slow as the wood connected with the man's head, a thundering CRACK resonating in the enclosed area.

"Nooooooooooooooooo!"

* * *

**Sorry I took a while to update. But, blah. I suck at fight scenes. That's why I didn't continue explaining a whole lot. Not looking forward to doing them in other stories that I have planned. Grrr.**

**I'm really looking forward to the next chapter. My fellow authoress and I had a discussion about what would happen after this, and we were laughing pretty hard. **

**Any guesses as to who screamed 'No'? **

**1. Again, 'whackage' is like 'mockage'. It is not an actual word, just a word my family uses.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the long wait. Really I am.**

* * *

Chapter 7

"Nooooooooooooooooo!" Sparrow screamed as Rage the thirty-seventh cracked and splinters of wood fell to the concrete floor, just like the unconscious man had.

The boy fell to the floor, kneeling by the shambles, picking up the shards of wood.

Now that the battle was over and had been won, the team made their way from the rafters to their teammate. They didn't know what to say, as they had never been in this predicament before, but Ash beat them to it.

He took a bandana with an insignia from his pocket and tied it to his arm. Ash looked towards Young Justice. "It's Crowe. Just Crowe, for now," He walked over to Sparrow, and put a hand on the distraught (the understatement of the year) boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Sparrow. Really, I am. Where do you want the ceremony to be held?"

"Ceremony?" Artemis asked. "What on earth do you mean?"

Both boys ignored her question. "Just like three months ago when we had to burn Rage the thirty-sixth," was the quiet, yet angry, response.

"Oh," Crowe rubbed the back of his neck. "So, you mean, at the same place that you first used her?"

"Yep."

"So, where did you first use her?"

"Pardon me," Kid Flash cut in, "But what in sweet blazes are you guys talking about?"

"Crowe answered, as Sparrow was still picking up the pieces of his most precious weapon. "Whenever one of our baseball bats snaps, we burn them, as a symbol of reverence. Or at least, that's what my group has learned to do. Since he was originally in my group, Sparrow is no different. However, he has his own special way of doing the cremation process. He takes his bats to the place where he first used them to burn them."

"Geez, you guys make it sound like somebody's died," Superboy muttered.

"Where did you user her first?" Crowe nodded his approval. Miss Martian seemed to be the only one who understood why things happened the way they happened around here. _Thank goodness not everyone on that blasted team of his are dunderheaded morons,_ he thought.

Sparrow stood up, his arms full of his shattered companion. "The same alley-way that Crowe saved me in a few years ago."

* * *

Everyone had been thinking it, but nobody wanted to voice out the question as the odd bunch followed the two gang leaders through the streets of Gotham. _How had Crowe saved Robin _(they had to remind themselves that Sparrow hadn't been in existence at the time) _all those years ago? That had been the second time it had been mentioned._

They stopped walking, realizing the two boys had led them to a particularly dark alley-way. There were boxes lining the walls, but they jutted out at odd angles so that it made a nice place for say, a human to hide behind.

"Sparrow, what were you doing in this place?" Aqualad asked. It hardly seemed like good living quarters.

He shrugged. "I didn't have anywhere else to go. I was alone, I mean, my only living family had just died a couple weeks before."

The team gaped at him. That certainly wasn't expected. Even Kid Flash was gawking, and he already knew about Robin's past.

Crowe then suggested something so bizarre that everyone was staring at him instead. "Why don't we show them how we met? It might help," At the stares, he crossed his arms over his chest and gave a small glare. "No, I am NOT getting soft. I'm simply trying to make it so that Sparrow doesn't have a complete meltdown. That happened with several other of his bats, and I'm NOT going to be around for another one."

Sparrow's cheeks and the tips of his ears turned bright red as he quickly swept Crowe's feet out from under him. "I did NOT have a complete meltdown with other baseball bats! And the suggestion isn't so bad," He said, trying to maintain his composure. "But we'll do it _after_ the ceremony. In a different place."

"Let's get this over and done with then," Artemis grumbled.

"Wait! You can't start without me!" A voice suddenly called out. The teens turned to see a familiar face running towards them.

"Viper!" Sparrow yelped, shocked into almost dropping Rage the thirty-seventh. "What are you doing here?"

She braced her hands on her thighs, panting. Then she looked up, not changing her stance. "Word gets around fast, you know? One of Crowe's gang was passing by when he heard the whole shebang. Went to fetch me immediately," Viper greedily took in more air. "Had to get here as fast as I could. Black-mailing opportunities, you know? Wouldn't want to miss Sparrow crying all over the place, " she finished with a devilish grin.

"Would you shut up about the whole thing already?" He cried. "I was eight! Cut me some slack!"

"You know, I don't think I will."

"Ditto," Crowe readily agreed.

"Can we please just continue with the ceremony? That is the whole reason we're here, right?" M'gann took control, which earned a long, awkward silence.

"How stupid of me. I brought an urn for you," Viper quietly pulled said urn out of her bag. It was decorated with black swirls and twists. Almost like a labyrinth. The rest of it was a deep blue-ish-green. It was quite small and could easily fit into the palm of a grown man, or in this case, woman's hand.

Sparrow nodded his thanks. He looked to Crowe and asked, "You got any matches?"

Crowe nodded and pulled out a pack. The team of outsiders watched as Viper grabbed a box, tore off the bottom, and laid the bottom on the ground. Sparrow laid the shredded baseball bat on the box bottom in a crisscross fire fashion. Then Crowe found a few dead leaves and put them around and on top of the wood, then lighting a match.

Both of the teams watched as the baseball bat was burnt and smoke started to rise. Young Justice was jumped out of their thoughts when Crowe suddenly started talking. They looked to see Viper and Sparrow with their arms folded, heads bent as their eyes watched the flames overtake everything else: leaves, box, and wood.

Crowe stood between them, looking very much like a priest.

"Rage the thirty-seventh. A once proud, wonderful, useful, and glorious baseball bat. She helped in many good and bad situations, helping to make Gotham a better and more frightening place under the direction of her master, Sparrow. Never did she turn against him, and fight for anyone else. Rage, you shall be missed immensely."

There was a silence like no other silence you have ever heard before.

Viper handed Sparrow the urn as the flames died down, leaving ashes. He knelt down and scooped up a handful of the ashes, and put them into the jar.

"Very nice. Lovely ceremony. Can we go now?" Sarcasm dripped from every word Artemis said. Four _**(1) **_faces glared at her while three other faces looked at her with what looked like gratitude.

"Learn some respect for the dead!" Crowe hissed.

"Sparrow, I have something I would like to do for you when we get out of the new grave-site," Viper whispered.

"Okay," Sparrow took one last look at the ashes of his baseball bat before turning and walking out of the alley-way. "Come on, guys. Let's leave her to rest for eternity now."

* * *

As soon as they turned another corner and into another alley-way, Viper slipped off the oblong case she was wearing.

"Viper, what are you doing?" Crowe sighed.

"I feel really bad about what happened. No offense, but it really was your own fault about Rage the thirty-sixth. I mean, how thick could you get? What did you think would happen if you whacked her against THE Batman?"

The team gave odd looks to Sparrow. He seemed to shrink with embarrassment. "Don't ask."

"But this time you were saving Crowe. That deserves some of my respect. So, I'm giving you back Rage the thirty-fifth. She can be your half fifth and half eighth," That being said, the girl pulled out the baseball bat. Everyone besides Sparrow promptly burst out laughing.

The bat looked like it had had a make-over. It was bright hot pink, bedazzled, and let's not forget about the glitter. Lots and lots of sparkly silver and pink glitter.

Sparrow turned deathly white and looked like he was going to gag. "No thanks, Viper," he choked out. "Pardon me for yelling, but - WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO TO HER?"

She shrugged. "I told you that I lent her out to the twins next door. I just didn't happen to tell you that they were six-year-old _girls_. Looks like your guess that they would paint her bright pink was right. And if you're sure, oh well. I guess I can find something to do with her."

Crowe decided that it was time to change the subject. "Where will you get another bat, Ro?"

"Ro?" Suberboy raised an eyebrow.

"He gotta have a nick-name, don't he?"

"Hey, were all of your bats made of wood?" Kid Flash suddenly asked.

Sparrow gave him a funny look. " . . . Yeah . . . Why?"

"Couldn't you just get an aluminum bat? It would certainly last longer."

All three of the gangsters had 'HORRIFIED' written all over their faces. "Why would you _do_ that?" Crowe cried.

Sparrow had about the same reaction. "So not cool! You wouldn't do that because aluminum is like cheating! It would have the wrong _feel_!"

"And besides," Viper added patiently, "They mean so much more if they're wooden. Aluminum won't ever go away, like you said. So how would you ever get used to the feel of a new bat? A new weapon?"

"And how would you get rid of it once it died?" Crowe asked as if it were the most sensible thing in the world. "I mean, it would take forever just to melt it down. And how would you put it in an urn?" He shook his head. "Most improper."

Young Justice just stared at each other until Aqualad said almost exhaustedly, "Let us just get Crowe or Ash home now . . . please?"

* * *

**Poor Aqualad. In fact, poor team. I'd hate to be in their shoes at the moment. Albeit, it would be funny to actually be in person watching the gangsters reactions.**

**If anyone else laughed at the sermon Crowe gave, two thumbs way, way up for you! That was the intention. My fellow authoress was the one who came up with this part, and we were absolutely hysterically laughing when she came up with it. And I give all the credit about Rage the thirty-fifth to my fellow authoress. To learn who she is, visit my webpage. **

**We'll get to the part where you learn under what circumstances Robin and Crowe meet in the next chapter. **

**1. The fourth was M'gann. I couldn't help myself. I said to myself, it sounds like a very M'gann-esk thing. *shrug* I don't know. What can I say? I'm a very random person.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Crowe had promptly taken off the arm band and become Ash Quertz once they started walking to his manor.

"It's not as big as Wayne Manor, and Quertz Manor doesn't sound as grand as Wayne Manor, I suppose. Still, it's big enough," Ash said when the team had asked him about the house. He also sent a look at Sparrow that no one else understood besides Viper.

Suddenly Viper stopped walking and face-palmed. "I am so dead!" She half screamed.

People sent her funny looks, and no one around her were exceptions. Sparrow sighed dramatically. "What did you do this time?"

"Not funny, Short-stop!" She glared furiously at him. "I'm not allowed at your place, Ash! Don't you remember that one time?"

Ash looked star-struck. "You're right. You are dead if Dad catches you thirty feet away from the front gate, let alone at the front door."

She nodded. "I've gotta go. Besides, I told Mom I'd be home to help put my little brothers, more like demons, go to bed at seven. It's seven thirty, and she's gonna kill me!" That being said, Viper turn-tailed and booked it down an alley-way, leaving the rest of them staring after her.

Sparrow whistled. "That's sure one interesting gal."

Ash had seemingly gone slack, and his voice was kind of dreamy looking. Matter of fact, his eyes looked like they were misting over as well. "She sure is."

He was leaving himself wide open, and the majority of the team knew it too. Artemis and Kid Flash were stifling giggles with their hands and Aqualad looked like he was trying not to smile.

Unfortunately, Sparrow also knew he had just hooked Ash. "Why do you date her? She's crazy man. Plus, she told me that she's got her eyes set on someone else."

Ash just about jumped six feet in the air. "WHAT? That's not true! And she's not crazy!"

Sparrow laughed and slapped a hand on his best friend's back. "Dude! I'm just messing with you! You've gotta learn to keep up your guard. You totally left yourself out in the open. And it's sad that I'm the one telling you this, since I'm younger by six years."

Ash let out a breath. "I know, I know. But I can't help it. Stupid hormones," he muttered. Then his voice got louder, as he realized he was doing nothing to help his case. "Anyway, didn't we say that we'd tell them how we met?"

"Yeah, how did you meet?" Kid Flash asked. You could so tell that black-mail opportunities were on his mind.

"If you want, I could connect our minds and you could show everybody," M'gann volunteered, albeit a bit hesitantly.

Ash and Sparrow looked at each other. Ash just shrugged. Sparrow nodded, and said, "Alright, but there are going to be a few rules. One, I think it would be best if you combined our memories, because then you can see it from all points of view. Two," Sparrow turned on Ash, "I want you to blur out my eyes. They don't know yet, and I don't intend on telling them anytime soon."

Ash nodded. The team looked at him, confused. "Are you a telepath?" Superboy asked.

Ash shook his head. "No, but I was taught at an early age how to alter memories. It's complicated. I mean, I guess I could have some telepathic abilities, but it's highly unlikely."

"Maybe we should go somewhere where we can watch without being observed by others," Aqualad's eyes shifted around, looking at the on-looking civilians who were giving the strange group odd looks.

Artemis looked thoughtful for a moment before stating, "I know where we can go. Follow me."

They all watched her as she started walking down the street before hurrying after.

They found themselves at an apartment, with Artemis taking a key from under the door-mat and unlocking the door.

"Where are we?" Aqualad asked.

"One of my friend's house. She told me she wouldn't be here today, so we won't have any surprise visitors," The only two who could see through the lie were Sparrow and Ash. And even M'gann felt from the three of them that there was obviously more to it.

They sat down on the couch, and Sparrow gave the okay signal to M'gann to begin. She put a hand to her head and her eyes started to glow. Suddenly everyone's worlds went black.

When the memory started, there still wasn't much color. They could see a small boy walking into an alley-way, shivering. Just like Ash had promised, his eyes were blurred out. He shakily took out a box of matches, tore up a card-board box and set it on fire.

The boy wore a worn-out blue T-shirt and black shorts that were torn at the bottom. He didn't have any shoes on. He sat as close as he could to the fire without burning himself.

From the corners of the alley they saw a shadow move. A man came out of the shadows slowly, with what looked like a crowbar poised above his head, ready to strike the young figure.

The team wanted to scream at him for not noticing.

The Would-Be-Robin turned around, and because the blurry section on his face grew, they could tell his eyes were widening in fear.

But then the thug's eyes widened and rolled to the back of his head, falling to the ground. Behind him was a younger version of Crowe with his baseball bat raised. This was the first time the team actually saw his costume. It wasn't much different from Sparrow's. The body suit was gray, however, and there was no insignia on his chest.

Younger-Crowe lowered the bat, and leaned on it. "Kid," He looked at the wide-eyed boy. "There's a thing called a brain. Because of the size and shape of your head, I'm going to assume I'm correct when I say that I'm pretty sure you have one," He got no response whatsoever. "Let me give you some valuable advice. USE IT."

Would-Be-Robin looked down at his feet. Little-Crowe continued on with his lecture, "Think about it kid, this is GOTHAM. One of the most dangerous places in the United States. This is also an ALLEY-WAY in GOTHAM. Do you get my drift?" He spoke as if he were speaking to a two-year-old.

Little-Robin's voice trembled a bit. "I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't know."

Young-Crowe sighed, as if knowing what he was going to do was going to bite him back later on. "Do you have anywhere to stay, kid?"

There was a shake of the boy's head. "I'd rather be a-anywhere than where I was."

The young gang-leader held out his hand. "Then come on. You can stay with me for the night."

Would-Be-Robin shook his head. "You're a stranger."

Little-Crowe's eyes rolled and annoyance flashed across his face. "You can call me Crowe. It's not my real name, but since I don't know you too well, that's what you can call me."

The boy tentatively gave him his hand. "Alright. You can call me . . . Sparrow."

A smirk planted itself on Young-Crowe's face. "Nice to meet you Sparrow. Now let's go before someone catches us."

That being said, he hefted the eight-year-old up onto his back and they vanished into the night.

* * *

**So . . . How did you like the story of how the two met? This is probably as much info as you're going to get on the two of them bonding. But know that Sparrow and Crowe did have a LONG conversation in the past about if they could be honorary brothers and what being brothers meant and stuff like that. I know this because when I was dusting I was narrating it to myself, and then promptly forgot all the details of the discussion.**

**. . . I am so weird . . . **

**Anyhoo, tell me what you thought!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, important note for this chapter. Ash Quertz and Crowe are the same person, right? Well, I need some way to differentiate them in the story. So, Crowe is the memory, Ash is physical person. If that made any sense at all.**

* * *

Chapter 9

After that scene, the team was suddenly thrown into a different one. It was with the younger versions of Crowe and Sparrow again, but they were in a gray room that had a cot, table and two chairs.

Crowe was laying on the cot, arms folded over his chest, staring up at the ceiling. Sparrow was watching Crowe, sitting backwards on one of the chairs.

The silence was cut by Sparrow, when he out of nowhere asked, "Crowe, what's it like to have a brother?"

Crowe sat up. "I wouldn't know. I don't have any brothers."

The younger boy glared at him. The team could actually see his eyes, but Ash had just barely gotten out of the shock of this and quickly turned Sparrow's eyes gray.

"That's bull," He hissed back. The boy pulled a newspaper seemingly out of nowhere. The front title had a picture of one Ash Quertz, who it seemed had been kidnapped a few months ago. "You're Ash Quertz. You have a mother and a father, four brothers and two sisters."

Crowe tensed. So did Ash. "So tell me, do you still not have any brothers?"

Crowe fidgeted. "Not . . . exactly."

"Pray tell. How is that 'not exactly'?"

Crowe sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Let me give you a little history lesson. In England, gangs used to be off the handle and huge. And you know why? Because the children of rich kids didn't really have anyone. Both of their parents would work, leaving them with the 'nannies' or other people. So the kids went out and joined gangs to have a 'family'. And that's exactly what I did.

"I never spend time with my parents. And my siblings don't like me either. No one is ever home, and I'm left alone. I never spent time with my brothers, and when I did, they made fun of me or treated me like I was a ghost. So, no, I don't really know what it's like to have a brother."

The silence was defining.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I just didn't want you to know. Not many know who I am outside of Crowe, and I kind of wanted it to stay that way."

"Well, you're out of luck there. A few of the other guys already have it figured out."

"WHAT?"

Sparrow ignored him and his next comment was almost a whisper. "I know you don't know who I am, because I won't tell you yet, but . . . . If you really want to have a good brother, I'd be glad to be a candidate."

Crowe seemed to consider the boy's words. "You . . . My little brother?"

Sparrow shrugged. "I've never had one either. It'd be a new experience for the both of us."

Crowe was silent for awhile, before standing up and heading for the door. "Come on. It's time for the meeting with the rest of the gang that I set up."

Sparrow seemed disappointed, but he followed slowly after his leader.

"Come on! Can't you go any faster?" Crowe looked back and saw the boy's look. He sighed. "I'm just teasing you. Isn't that what brothers do?"

A grin spread across Sparrow's face as he picked up his pace. "Bet I can beat you!"

"Yeah right!"

Everything went black.

* * *

**Yet another short chapter. Sorry. I told you that I wouldn't have this part in there, but I woke up this morning and remembered parts of this section that I had narrated to myself, and I said, "What the heck? Might as well."**

**Again, sorry for the short chapter. And sorry if it was kind of confusing.**

**Review?**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

As the scene faded, M'gann quickly brought them out into reality so that that wouldn't happen again.

The team stared at each other in shock for a moment.

_**What the heck had just happened?! **_was everyone's thought.

They then looked to the two 'brothers' and saw that they were staring in bewilderment at each other too.

Then Sparrow blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Whoops. That was my fault."

Ash whapped him upside the head. "You idiot!"

"Ow! I know, I know! Geez, you hit hard!"

"Um, guys, I'm just wondering how one of you managed to force me into showing a memory," M'gann asked awkwardly. Superboy took the opportunity to slide closer to her and glare at the gang leaders.

Sparrow muttered something.

"What was that? I didn't hear you," Artemis said.

Ash said it for him. "I wasn't the only one who got tips on how to play mind games." To which Sparrow glared.

"I don't like to call them mind games. More like Batman taught me pretty well how to resist a telepath's mind and besides," he shrugged. "Whenever I think about how I met Crowe, I always promptly think of how we became brothers."

"How sweet," Ash's voice was sickly sweet and he was glaring what could have been called a Batglare. "Can I go back to my 'terrible' home now?"

"Okay, hold your horses Ash," Sparrow turned to the team. "You guys didn't see that last scene. It's a little too personal for you to have seen. Just forget about it. Now come on!"

About thirty minutes later they were all standing on the front door step of Quertz Manor.

Ash took a breath. "Okay, something you should know about my dad. He's not exactly a happy camper when it comes to superheroes. He's totally against Batman and Robin, so I wouldn't expect him to thank you if I were you. Second: beware. He's not exactly a nice guy."

That being said, he rapped on the door quickly three times.

They heard a few crashes and yelling about who's getting to the door first.

Suddenly the door flew wide open and Kid Flash had to speed out of the way to avoid getting smacked in the face.

A rampaging nine-year-old girl shot out and had herself glued to Ash's pant leg before anyone could prepare.

"You're back! You're back!"

Sparrow turned to the stunned nineteen-year-old. "You said something earlier about your siblings not caring about you?"

Ash blew a strand of hair out of his face. "Kenzie, I'm not your imaginary boyfriend. Now get off of me!" He shook his leg and the brunette looked up at him.

"But you're back, and that means you can help me look for him!" She smiled. "None of the others will help me, and you always know where Kevin is! And he's not my boyfriend! He's my invisible twin!" She pouted.

Ash rolled his eyes and muttered, "I can't wait until I get out of the house."

Kenzie frowned when she saw all of the other people on the porch. "Daddy's not gonna like it that you brought friends over. Particularly him," she pointed at Sparrow, but didn't actually look at him. "He doesn't even like my super-powered twin; I don't see any reason for you to believe that he would like your gang friends."

"We are not part of a gang, I can assure you," Aqualad said quickly.

The little girl ignored him and turned to Sparrow, looking at him for the first time. The tips of her ears got red, and she blushed. "You know, you can come help me look for Kevin too sometime. Actually, anytime," she giggled and then skipped back inside the house.

Kid Flash stared at Sparrow. "Dang! Why do you get all the girls?!"

Sparrow and Ash glared at him, and they said two different things at the exact same time:

"Dude! That's my little sister you're talking about!

"KF! She's like, nine! Get over it!"

"You're back," A low voice cut in. The seven teenagers faced the door to see a man in a business suit, brown hair slicked back, and arms folded across his chest. His dark gray eyes were narrowed, and the team could almost swear that this could almost definitely be the Batman's secret I.D.

Ash looked up at his father, eyes also narrowed, shoved his hands into his pockets and said, "Yep. Young Justice, this is my father, Mr. Quertz. Dad, this is Young Justice, and I believe you already know Ro."

The man's disapproving eyes looked the team up and down, and then he turned to Sparrow, where his eyes turned completely cold.

"I don't approve of the Justice League sending _children_ in to save the day," He yanked Ash by the arm and pulled him inside. He leaned in close to Sparrow. "And I definitely do not approve of my son being with people like you." The door was promptly slammed in the teams' faces.

Artemis glared at the door. "Well, that's certainly a pleasant parent for you there."

The team finally got to go back to Mt. Justice. They were absolutely exhausted. Well, not Sparrow, but that was besides the point.

But of course, they still had the debriefing to do.

And exactly when they get inside and start thinking about this is Batman's que to come in out of no-where and make Kid Flash scream like a little girl, plus a lot of jumping and eyes widening from everyone else except Sparrow.

He stated, "Get changed," And disappeared.

"That's it?" Superboy looked incredulous and a bit angry.

Sparrow shrugged. "Be grateful that he didn't ask for the debriefing right now and that he's giving us time to prepare. It's his weird way of saying 'thanks'."

So they didn't question it and took their sweet time. When they got back, Batman was standing by the zeta-beams.

"I was watching from the shadows. And if any of you see Sparrow, tell him that he did . . . well. Robin, let's go."

Robin turned to his stunned teammates and said, "Sorry I wasn't able to be on the mission with you. Sounds like you had an asterous time. See ya' later!"

And they left.

"Just like that?" Artemis asked.

"Just like that," M'gann answered.

* * *

**So, the next chapter's the last chapter. And that's the epilogue . . . And I'm really excited to type it!**

**So was this to . . . I don't know . . . weird? I'd love to hear what you have to say about it.**


	11. Epilogue

**Terribly sorry for the long wait. I hope this last chapter is worth it!**

**I have mentioned the book Divergent in this chapter. It is a real book, and I will have you know that I am not the author.**

* * *

Chapter 11

After the whole incident, Wally proclaimed Robin to have personality disorder, which is most likely true.

Anyways, we're getting off topic. What really happened after the whole incident was that the team started to understand Robin a little bit better. They learned why he did certain things, and why he felt the way he did about others. Occasionally they'd see something that only Sparrow would do, like when during the middle of a fight Robin would use a specific move that even the Batman wouldn't know because he hadn't been in a gang.

However, they also learned some more personal things about Robin, like when his birthday was. After they rescued Ash Quertz, Bats got a little more lenient. A little bit. Not much.

Today was March 21st, and of course the team decided that they absolutely had to celebrate their 'brother's' fifteenth birthday.

Throughout the day the cave just barely managed to stay in one piece. I mean, when you have nine (because Roy was hiding, trying not to be seen & Crowe & Viper had been allowed to come) teenagers playing paintball, twister, and other various games, things are definitely bound to get a little hectic.

Finally it was getting late, and Wally decided that it was time for Robin to open presents. This had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Robin desperately wanted to go and spend the rest of the day with Batman. No siree.

- Artemis jokingly got Robin a collar with bells on it. (The real present was a new CD player with earphones.)

- Roy gave his little brother a cloak with a hood (he claimed he found it at the DI) that was a deep gray with swirling designs stitched in black. The edge was also black.

- Conner made the birthday boy a green crocheted shirt while M'gann, not nearly as experienced, simply stuck with a nicely knitted blue scarf.

- Kaldur bought Robin the book Divergent, which the boy had been claiming was way asterous and that he really needed to add it to his vast library.

- Viper had hand carved a miniature baseball bat and put it on a necklace. She had also painstakingly carved 'Rage the 35th' into the side of it. (Robin is right now wearing it.)

- Crowe gave him nine tickets for the newest, most expensive laser tag place in the whole of Gotham City. (Gee, wonder how he managed that one.)

And then Wally. Wally, Wally, Wally.

Wally claimed that Robin had to open his the last, because his was definitely the best. The box he gave to Robin was very long, and skinny. When Robin tore off the paper and opened up the box, he was in for a surprise.

Now, Sparrow had been searching for a new baseball bat for ages. It had now been about two months, and he had yet to find one.

This, this baseball bat was absolutely . . . magnificent. The brown wood had ornate carvings that looked like they could have been straight from a movie on it.

"Thanks, Wal-man," Robin took it out of the box and all (mainly Crowe and Viper) gasped at the beautiful 'weapon'.

Wally smirked. "Anytime."

Robin frowned at that. There was something going on. But he didn't have time to consider it as he spotted a fleck of gray on the baseball bat. _Whoops. Must have gotten some of the wrapping paper on it,_ he thought.

The Boy Wonder started scratching at it, despite Wally's protests, and soon found that the bat . . .

Was made of aluminum.

In short, it had been painted to look like it was wooden.

The two gangsters in the room along with Robin glared.

"That's funny, Wally. Hilarious," Viper drawled.

Wally chuckled nervously and pulled another baseball bat that looked exactly like the other out from behind his back. "I was just kidding with you, Rob! I promise this one is for real."

Robin stood up, grinned, and pulled everyone into a group hug, ignoring the many, many protests.

"Thanks for the best birthday ever guys."

_**Eight Months Later**_

Sparrow was working to help Viper out of a sticky situation when it happend.

Rage the Thirty-Eighth was wrecked.

She had lasted the longest, and it was a shame to see her go. Almost harder than the thirty-seventh.

Sparrow decided to do the ceremony on his own this time. When he got to the alley-way just behind Wayne Manor he started to build the fire, when he noticed something.

There was a shiny something stuck in between the two pieces of wood from his baseball bat. Sparrow broke it free and immediately his eyes narrowed.

Inside his baseball bat had been a quarter. A slice of . . . _metal_ .  
And then the fifteen-year-old noticed something else. Right next to it was a slip of paper that had also been lodged inside the bat. On the paper read:

_Ha! I wish I could see your face!_

_I'm going to die now. Better start running._

Now. Who was the one who gave him the baseball bat in the first place?

Right. You know who.

And who else would take that much time to put a _quarter_ and _note_ inside a _baseball bat_?

Right.

" . . . Wally . . . "

* * *

**So. This was the last chapter. Did I mention that it was really fun to right, and that I've had this last chapter in my head ever since before I was half-way through typing the story?**

**Oh, as I was reading this to my fellow authoress, also my best friend, she brought up the point that Zatanna, Rocket, and a few other characters should have been present as Robin was now fifteen . . . My response was, "I don't give a care." Please forgive me for not adding them in. I didn't think about it when I was writing it.**

**And with the tickets that Crowe got Robin, my fellow authoress was laughing and said that he probably got another gangster to give them to him and said something like, "You'll have two of the greatest gang leaders on your side afterwards."I was laughing so hard! It wasn't what I had been intending when I wrote it, but still!**

**It's been great writing this story, and I hope that you all enjoyed it too.**

**Thanks to all who have contributed, whether with your reviews, favorites, follows, or anything else I've missed.**

**But I would like to ask how you all thought about this ending.**

**One last review for this story please?**


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